CORPUS CHRISTI/ALICE, TX – SNBL- a primate dealer/lab with a branch
located in Alice (TX) - is the target of multiple Official Complaints
filed with the USDA, USFWS, Texas Department of Health, and the CDC by
Research Watchdog Group SAEN, (Stop Animal Exploitation Now) following
the deaths of several primates by tuberculosis and polio.

SAEN said it is a "national health issue."

“We believe that this SNBL facility has endangered public health and
potentially violated the Animal Welfare Act,” said Michael A. Budkie,
A.H.T., Executive Director, SAEN. “We are concerned for the safety
of the people of Alice, TX and across the U.S.”

The SNBL facility is part of a large corporation headquartered in
Everett, WA (outside Seattle). “It is possible that contaminated
primates may have been shipped outside of Texas,” added Budkie.
“This is clearly a national public health concern.”

SAEN has obtained the post-mortem records for several SNBL primates,
which show the causes of death as “Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex”
and “polioencephalomalacia.” These pathogens are responsible
for causing tuberculosis in people and ‘goat polio’ a contagious disease
of ruminants.

Official complaints have been filed with the USDA relevant to potential
violations of the Animal Welfare Act for inadequate veterinary care,
etc. Additional requests for investigations have been filed with
the US Fish & Wildlife Service, the CDC, and the Texas State Department
of Health regarding obvious public health concerns.

The primate records and complaint documents are available upon request
from SAEN.